Proverbs 1:31
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Original Language Analysis
וְֽ֭יֹאכְלוּ
Therefore shall they eat
H398
וְֽ֭יֹאכְלוּ
Therefore shall they eat
Strong's:
H398
Word #:
1 of 5
to eat (literally or figuratively)
דַרְכָּ֑ם
of their own way
H1870
דַרְכָּ֑ם
of their own way
Strong's:
H1870
Word #:
3 of 5
a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb
Cross References
Proverbs 14:14The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.Job 4:8Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.Proverbs 22:8He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.Jeremiah 6:19Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.Jeremiah 2:19Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.
Historical Context
Ancient agricultural societies understood sowing and reaping intimately. The metaphor appears throughout Scripture (Job 4:8; Hosea 8:7). Israel's history demonstrated national-scale reaping: idolatry produced exile, covenant faithfulness produced blessing. Individual and corporate consequences follow moral choices. The principle transcends cultures—natural law built into creation ensures actions produce fitting consequences, both temporally and eternally.
Questions for Reflection
- How does eating the fruit of one's own way demonstrate that judgment isn't arbitrary punishment but natural consequence?
- What does being 'filled' with one's own devices teach us about judgment giving the full measure of chosen folly?
Analysis & Commentary
The harvest of rejection: 'Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.' The agricultural metaphor shows that choices produce corresponding consequences. 'Eat... fruit' pictures consuming the results of one's actions. 'Filled' suggests inescapable saturation in consequences. 'Their own' emphasizes self-inflicted nature of judgment. This reflects Galatians 6:7—what one sows, one reaps. God's justice gives people the full measure of their chosen path. Autonomous wisdom, pursued, brings its inevitable bitter fruit.